The present invention relates to a dry-hang wall panel using a thin stone slat and, more particularly, to a light dry-hang wall panel allowing easy construction while providing a smooth appearance with a sense of quality.
An outer wall of a building is generally painted or mounted with tiles, steel panels, stone slabs, etc. to provide enhanced appearance quality. Stone slabs are popular due to their natural aesthetic patterns although they are expensive. The stone slabs are generally mounted on a wall by hang-dry or wet-type constructing methods. In the hang-dry method, hangers are fixed to a wall of a building for engaging with hooks fixed to stone slabs. The dry-hang method is faster than the wet-type method requiring a longer period of time for the cement to harden. Furthermore, it is not necessary to remove the old wall panels initially mounted to the outer wall of an old building in the dry-hang method. The hangers can be directly fixed to the old wall panels to rapidly construct a new wall panel, reducing the construction time while meeting the user needs.
Conventionally, the stone slabs have a thickness of abut 18-30 mm after cutting, avoiding breakage during transportation. An end of each stone slab is processed to form a hole or a groove for coupling with a hook, allowing the stone slab to be mounted to a wall face by the dry-hang method, examples of which are disclosed in Taiwan Utility Model Nos. M397404 and M261538. However, many workers are needed to carry the stone slabs having a thickness larger than 18 mm, causing inconvenience to construction and increasing the costs. Furthermore, it is difficult to construct a ceiling with these stone slabs. Further, people may be injured while carrying the stone slabs in a building. Further, the stone slabs may crack while forming the hole or groove, and formation of the hole or groove is not easy. Further, the heavy stone slabs mounted to the wall face are liable to break or even fall down in an earthquake.
Furthermore, the resources of natural stone slabs lessen due to continuing quarrying. Thus, use of the stone slabs having a thickness larger than 18 mm is not friendly to the environment and significantly increases the costs of the outer wall.
In a solution disclosed in Taiwan Utility Model Nos. M397403 and M330319, a composite stone slab structure includes a thin stone slab having a thickness of 3-10 mm and a reinforcing material mounted to a rear side of the thin stone slab. Thus, a stone slab having a thickness of 18-30 mm can be divided into two or more thin stone slabs of the same area to reduce the costs while providing environmental protection in addition to presenting the natural stone patterns when the thin stone slabs are bonded to a wall face.
However, the individual thin stone slab having a large area is liable to bend and deform. Although the thin stone slab can be reinforced by engaging with a thick reinforcing material, the thick reinforcing material increases the overall weight and is difficult to install. Furthermore, the surface of the thick reinforcing material is apt to bend due to difficulties in leveling, resulting in an uneven wall face.